Earlier this year, we reported that a new Spotify-powered service named PlayStation Music would be coming to the PlayStation 4. It was set to launch in spring 2015, and sure enough, the service arrives today.
PlayStation Music is coming to both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles, in 41 countries. If you’re new to Spotify, a free trial is available. Subscribers to the PlayStation’s previous music solution, Music Unlimited, will see the trial extended to 60 days.
A free version of the app is ad-supported, but if you want to listen without constant interruption you’ll want to opt for a $10 per month premium account. If you’re already a Spotify premium customer, there is nothing you need to do, while first-time customers can sign up right from the PlayStation 4 and have the service billed to their PlayStation Network account.
Upon starting the app for the first time, you’ll be prompted to log in with your Spotify credentials or Facebook account. Fortunately for those with long passwords, Spotify Connect allows users to use Spotify on a mobile device to log in, as long as the game console and phone are on the same network.
As is often the case with music apps on game consoles, the options are a little pared back from what you would see on your phone or laptop, but a fair amount of control is still available. Using Spotify Connect from your phone allows for more fine-tuned control, as well as the ability to skip tracks while in the middle of a game.
For Xbox One owners wondering when their console of choice will see an equivalent app, it looks like you may be in for a long wait. A thread on the Spotify forums requesting an Xbox One app has grown to over 40 pages, but it seems that, for now at least, this is one current-gen feature exclusive to the PlayStation 4.
PlayStation has “gaming exclusivity,” Murray Pannell, UK marketing director for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe told Eurogamer. When asked how long that exclusivity would last, he responded, “that’s to be decided exactly,” adding, “but certainly for the foreseeable.”
